Trends in Adaptation Planning: Observations from a recent stock-taking review

The document analyzes adaptation efforts in 15 countries across Africa and Asia, highlighting a universal prioritization of the agricultural sector and significant gaps in subnational planning and monitoring systems. While national-level policy frameworks are advancing, the review identifies a persistent lack of adaptation programming in health, forestry, and fisheries, and notes that progress is driven more by political leadership and donor priorities than by development status or climate risk levels.

• Adaptation priorities are consistent across the 15 reviewed countries, with the agricultural sector identified as a priority by all surveyed nations. Common actions include providing drought-tolerant seeds, expanding irrigation, and improving weather forecasts.
• There is a significant gap between identified priorities and actual programming; while health, forestry, and fisheries are frequently prioritized, they receive low levels of adaptation programming. Additionally, few projects focus primarily on the differentiated gender impacts of climate change.
• Progress in adaptation planning varies by country and is primarily driven by senior government leadership and the priorities of development assistance agencies, rather than by a country's human development status or its level of climate risk.
• Adaptation planning and mainstreaming at the subnational level are limited across all surveyed countries, regardless of the history of decentralization. This lack of capacity hinders the implementation of commitments under the Paris Agreement.
• Most reviewed countries lack systems to monitor and evaluate progress toward adaptation goals, with only a few exceptions such as Kenya and Bangladesh.
• The nature of adaptation projects has evolved from creating an 'enabling environment' (research and policy formation) seen in earlier reviews to a greater focus on implementing specific adaptation actions.

APA

Parry, J.-E., & Terton, A. (2016). Trends in Adaptation Planning: Observations from a recent stock-taking review. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/trends-adaptation-planning-observations-review.pdf

Chicago

Parry, Jo-Ellen, and Anika Terton. Trends in Adaptation Planning: Observations from a recent stock-taking review. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2016. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/trends-adaptation-planning-observations-review.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Parry |first1=Jo-Ellen |last2=Terton |first2=Anika |title=Trends in Adaptation Planning: Observations from a recent stock-taking review |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=November 2016 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/trends-adaptation-planning-observations-review.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{parry2016trends, author = {Parry, Jo-Ellen and Terton, Anika}, title = {{Trends in Adaptation Planning: Observations from a recent stock-taking review}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2016}, month = nov, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/trends-adaptation-planning-observations-review.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }